Cold case cracked: Suspected serial killer indicted for Florida mother’s 1998 murder, rape
Eileen Truppner and Lucious Boyd. Images courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff's Office and Florida Department of Corrections.
OAKLAND PARK, Fla. - Detectives in South Florida believe they now know who is responsible for the brutal killing of a South Florida mother in 1998.
In December 1998, the body of a woman was discovered by a boater in a grassy area off U.S. 27 in Southwest Broward County. Detectives say she was brutally murdered, raped and left for dead.
For more than 20 years, the woman was known as Jane Doe.
According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, the case was an uphill battle from the beginning as investigators only had the victim’s colorful clothing and a sketch to go by.
Sketch of Jane Doe courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives say they searched missing persons databases and canvassed the few nearby businesses but came up empty-handed. There were no cellphone cameras at that time and the body was found in a remote area without any cameras around. Eventually, the case went cold.
Detective Zack Scott with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office cold case unit was determined to not only put a name to the victim, but to figure out who killed her.
Photos taken from crime scene courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
While investigating a different cold case involving suspected serial killer Roberto Wagner Fernandes, who was eventually linked to three homicides, detectives retested Jane Doe’s sexual assault kit in 2021 to see if he may have been responsible for her death.
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The detectives asked for help from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s genetic genealogy unit. FDLE tracked down the DNA to three sisters and, through interviews, determined that one of the sisters, Eileen Truppner, fell off the grid in August 1998. Further analysis positively identified Jane Doe as Eileen Truppner.
Pictured: Truppner sisters. Image is courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
"For 20-something years, there has been no closure, no justice for who is now identified as Eileen Truppner, that was our victim. She is no longer faceless. She is no longer nameless. That is important for us as a community to have that name, and it’s important for the family members," stated Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony.
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"The upside is you’re able to give them some answers," shared Detective Zack Scott. "The downside is that you have to tell them she was the victim of a murder, and it’s not the answer they wanted."
Pictured: Eileen Truppner. Image is courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
Eileen Truppner’s sister, Nancy Truppner, said she immigrated to the United States from Puerto Rico.
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"She had the first child, and she [suffered from] postpartum depression," Nancy Truppner stated. "When the second child, having the child so fast, it was devastating. The depression was worse."
Pictured: Eileen Truppner with a child. Image is courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives say Eileen Truppner lost custody of her children as her depression got worse.
Nancy Truppner stressed that her sister didn’t realize she was sick.
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She said the last time she heard from her sister was in August 1998. Detectives say Nancy Truppner wanted her sister to live with her. But, according to BSO, Eileen believed she could regain custody of her children and refused the offer.
Pictured: Nancy and Eileen Truppner with two children. Image is courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
The Truppners hired a private investigator, but never received definitive information about what happened to their sister.
Using DNA technology on evidence found at the crime scene in 1998, investigators linked Eileen Truppner’s DNA to Lucious Boyd, a suspected serial killer.
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Investigators say Boyd’s DNA was collected as evidence in the murder of 21-year-old Dawnia Dacosta. Dacosta was killed about two weeks before Eileen Truppner.
Lucious Boyd mugshot courtesy of the Florida Department of Corrections.
According to detectives, Dacosta had run out of gas on her way home from a midnight church service. They say she walked to a gas station to fill up a small canister when she crossed paths with Boyd who offered to give her a ride.
Dacosta’s body was later found wrapped in sheets and a plastic shower curtain dumped behind a South Florida warehouse.
On November 29, 2023, a grand jury indicted Boyd for Eileen Truppner’s murder. He is already on death row for Dacosta’s murder and now faces additional charges of first-degree and sexual battery.
Nancy Truppner hugs Detective Zack Scott. Image is courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
"Lucious Boyd’s indictment for Eileen’s homicide is possible due to the collaborative efforts of BSO cold case detectives, crime lab analysts and crime scene investigators," Sheriff Tony said. "Now, Eileen’s family can put an end to decades of living with uncertainty while detectives continue their mission with one thing in mind - justice has no expiration date."
BSO says Boyd was known to travel throughout Florida and is a suspect in several other deaths in the state.
Detectives ask anyone who may have been in contact with Boyd in the mid to late ‘90s to call in a tip.